Fall has settled in. Each ray of sun that we take in feels like total nourishment. A little going such a long way. We know these moments are no longer in majority. We start to grip tightly to the covers at night.
Here are some thoughts and reflections on practice and study of yoga for autumn.

The Chicago Reader attended my Led Zeppelin tribute class in May. Good times, bad times. It’s an honor even if what actually gets the public’s attention is the times I steer from traditional asana classes.

Ever wonder what your teacher is saying in Sanskrit and how it actually may be relevant to the experience you are having in your pose? This week our class focus highlighted one of yoga’s sages, Vasishta, and the poses named in his honor. Vasishtasana is a hand balancing posture that includes the feet as a foundation. Take a deeper look and the pose holds much more than your hips in the air.

After concluding a 3 week workshop series for teachers some emails have come rolling in with further inquiry on some of our discussions. This week’s musing gives you a peek into how I’ve answered and offers advice to teachers struggling with sequencing.

You’ve learned Ganesha is the lord of beginnings. Learn from his mythology to begin exactly where you are. This week in class Ganesha symbolism may help ease the transition of daylight savings and “falling back” in time a truly swell idea.

Most anything I read by Iyengar directs me back to the roots of Classical Yoga. Being a tantrika, this is no mere detour but an opportunity to check in with my ethics, spirituality, and ultimately my chosen path of yoga.

The old adage, “consciousness flows where energy goes”, has taken me on a trip lately. This week’s classes are a reflection of a recent home practice revelation and the fumes I’m still riding from the 3 weeks of teaching Contemplate to Elevate. Dig it.

This week in class we’ll be covering a series of postures aimed at getting us into variations on Matsyendra’s poses. Just who exactly is the Lord of the Fishes and why did his parents throw him in the ocean as an infant?

By far I look most forward to the eye popping images, the straight-forward recipes, and all the bright ideas Heather Crosby is cooking up at Yum Universe. This is your one-stop go-to for all things plant-based, gluten free, soy free, and darn right delicious.

Take a gamble, roll the dice in life/yoga practice. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose! There are many ways to enter into the symbolism imbedded in Shiva and Parvati’s game of “strip Parcheesi” and interpret it where it meets you.
The Dice Game of Shiva: How Consciousness Creates the Universe is a great companion read to this week’s classes.

Love to sweat in yoga? Think you are doing your body good? Check out Chicago’s very own Jessica Wilson’s research and weigh in on the matter. Jessica is a medical student, neuroscientist, yoga student and teacher. Her blog post caught on fire over the past week and since then she has written a rebuttal. It would behoove you to read the blog if you are convinced sweating = detox.

Your yoga practice can be a stepping stone to living large and posturing to shift consciousness. This TEDtalk with Amy Cuddy was the inspiration for the week’s theme and perhaps the news we all wish we had since adolescence. It is worth watching all 21 minutes!

Leslie’s candor is very easy to follow and he excites the student in me that yearns to learn about the body from different perspectives. This video is an example of something that I’m thinking when I’m instructing you but can’t possibly take the time to share in our 90 minute classroom experience. Watch to gain insight not only about the knees specifically but to get a more in-depth explanation about muscle engagement and stabilization.